Optimización de hidrólisis básica para la obtención de gelatina a partir de virutas cromadas provenientes de una curtiembre de la ciudad de Ambato

Abstract

The leather industry generates various environmental concerns due to the amount of highly polluting waste. Among them are solid wastes, which are deposited in landfills or around tanneries. Because these residues contain Chromium (III), there are high possibilities that this element oxidizes into Chromium (VI). Chromium (VI) is considered a toxic and carcinogenic element. It is for this reason that alternatives are required that seek to take advantage of such waste to generate a value-added product. In the present study, the basic hydrolysis process with MgO was optimized to obtain gelatin from chromium shavings. For this, a factorial design was carried out whose factors were the concentration of MgO and time, each one with three levels. In addition, the amount of chromium was quantified and the strength of the gel was determined, with some parameters related to the mechanical properties of the gelatin. The results of the analysis of variance showed that both the reaction time and the MgO concentration are factors that affect the gelatin yield as well as its hardness. Finally, a surface design was carried out whose results showed that under conditions of 6 percent MgO during a reaction time of 5.7 hours, an estimated maximum yield of 34.41percent was achieved.